Day 1
- Tuesday 14th January 2025
We take our direct flight from Heathrow to Cairo and on arrival transfer to the 5-Star Meridien Hotel on the airport complex for one night on room and breakfast basis.
Day 2
- Wednesday 15th January - Old Cairo
After breakfast we check out of our hotel and set off to explore Old Cairo. Time to admire the famous Citadel of Saladin , view Babylon’s Roman walls and towers, the Hanging Church and the Coptic Museum. We include the Mosque of Ibn Tulun the oldest surviving mosque in Egypt and The Gayer Anderson House. We have lunch at the Al Azhar Park with its glorious views across the city. Later we check in to the Crowne Plaza Hotel at West Giza for four nights on room and breakfast basis. (BL)
Day 3
- Thursday 16th January - GEM
Today we have planned a whole day at The Grand Egyptian Museum. Plenty of time to explore in your own time. Lunch will be own arrangements at one of the many food outlets within the museum. (B)
Day 4
- Friday 17th January - The Great Pyramid
To the Giza Plateau with a chance to view the famous pyramids, surely the Greatest Monuments of all time. A chance to buy optional tickets for entry to any pyramid or mastaba tomb open on the day. We take lunch at a local restaurant with wonderful panoramic views of the plateau. A tour of the Valley Temple and the magnificent Sphinx will complete our time in this most famous of all Egyptian sites. (BL)
Day 5
- Saturday 18th January - Saqqara
A full day at where we can enjoy fabulous visits to the Step Pyramid and the Pyramid of Unas including entry to the pyramids if they are open on the day. We view the wonderful scenes in the Old Kingdom mastabas of Mereruka, Ptahhotep and Kagemni. We also enter the mastaba tomb of Mehu with its brightly coloured reliefs and the New Kingdom tombs of Maya and Horemheb the General. Finally the Serapeum, burial place of the Apis Bulls. During the day we will have a break at the Sakkara Palm Club with time to relax over lunch. (BL)
Day 6
- Sunday 19th January - The Southern City
Our day begins with a drive to the ancient city of Fustat and the wonderful National Museum of Egyptian Civilization where we can now see the Royal Mummies and much more. We also visit Coptic Cairo where we can see the ‘Hanging Church’ over the gate of the Babylon Fortress and the Coptic Museum. After a late lunch at the Meridien Hotel we move on to Cairo Airport terminal to board our flight to Aswan. On arrival in Aswan, we check in to the Movenpick Hotel on Elephantine Island for three nights on room and breakfast basis. (BL)
Day 7
- Monday 20th January - The Island of Isis
This morning, we board our private launch and head to Qubbet el Hawa and the rock-cut tombs of the Nobles on the hillside dating from the Old and New Kingdom. After a lunch break and free time at the hotel we visit the vast Unfinished Obelisk set in its open air museum. Next, to the Island of Philae with its Temple of Isis dating from the Ptolemaic Period. Saved from the rising waters of the new High Dam in the 1970’s the temples are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our guided tour will include the temples of Isis, Imhotep and Hathor, the Kiosk of Trajan and Hadrian’s Gate. (B)
Day 8
- Tuesday 21st January - Abu Simbel
Today we take a coach trip to the most famous site in Nubia, Abu Simbel, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will enter the Great Temple of Ramesses II and the Small Temple of Nefertari. This is a long day trip and we will stop for a lunch break at a local restaurant before returning to Aswan. (B)
Day 9
- Wednesday 22nd January - On the Nile
Today an early start as we leave Aswan and head by road to Luxor. We travel with lunch boxes provided by our hotel. On our way we will visit one of the best preserved and most complete of ancient monuments in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Our next stop will be at el Kab the ancient city of Nekheb where we find some delightful tombs including that of the commander Ahmose with its unusually detailed historical inscriptions. Time also for a stop at Mo’alla with a rare chance to enter the tomb of Ankhtyfy where Bill previously worked as part of an archaeological survey with Egyptian and British colleagues. On arrival in Luxor we check in to the Old Winter Palace, Garden Pavilion Wing, for five nights on room and breakfast basis. (BL)
Day 10
- Thursday 23rd January - The Valley of the Kings
We cross the Nile by private launch and our first stop will be at the Colossi of Memnon fronting the vast mortuary temple of Amenhotep III. Then to the Valley of the Kings where we have tickets allowing access to three tombs of those open on the day. We allow plenty of time to explore the Valley before heading to our local restaurant for a relaxing lunch. This afternoon we visit the Ramesseum, the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses II. Time to admire the toppled colossi that is said to have inspired Shelley’s Ozymandias and the stunning reliefs showing scenes from the battles of Qadesh and Dapur. Finally, a stop at the Colossi of Memnon before we return to our hotel. (BL)
Day 11
- Friday 24th January - Felucca sailing
A traditional Friday beginning with a sail along the Nile in a felucca. We will have a special lunch on board prepared by the chefs of the Old Winter Palace. Time for peace and calm taking in the beauty of the river. Later as the sun goes down and the lights go on we have a guided tour of Luxor Temple. (BL)
Day 12
- Saturday 25th January - Karnak Temple
This morning we will head off to the Temple of Amun at Karnak, the world’s largest temple complex. We have an in depth tour of the site looking at the Pylons, the Great Hypostyle Hall, The Sanctuary and the Sacred Lake. We include all the main elements but also the more out of the way hidden gems. Plenty of time to photograph and explore this amazing site. We return to the hotel at lunchtime and later we visit Luxor Museum with a superb collection of artifacts including recently unearthed finds from the area. (B)
Day 13
- Sunday 26th January - The West Bank
Once more to the West Bank and this morning we visit the site of Deir el Medina where we view the village and enter the tombs of the artisans and workmen who built the tombs of the Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. We also look at the Great Pit and the nearby Ptolemaic Temple. Next, a visit to Medinet Habu the well-preserved Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. We return to our local restaurant for a final lunch together before returning to the hotel mid-afternoon. (BL)
Day 14
- Monday 27th January 2025 - Home
This morning we take our private transfer to Luxor Airport for our direct flight to London. (B)
Dr Bill Manley is a best-selling author, Egyptologist and Coptic scholar, who taught at the University of Glasgow for over twenty years. He is now working with the Wadi C2 Archaeological Project, based in Luxor. Bill’s book Egyptian Art (2017) is part of Thames & Hudson’s prestigious World of Art series. His latest book The Oldest Book in the World (2023) garnered a 5-star review from The Wall Street Journal.
B = Breakfast BL = Breakfast and Lunch BD = Breakfast and Dinner BLD = Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
